Friday, 16 January 2015

Way Too Much...

...was what I made for someone's birthday party the other day. Does that happen to you, too? You prepare a dish or two for your own party or to bring to someone else's, and have to take nearly all of it home with you? In this case I think the problem was that, when I offered to bring not only my habitual Tiramisu but also a savoury dish, I didn't know the hostess was going to prepare so much food herself already. Also, I had expected people to eat more - but it is very difficult to jugdge how much people will actually eat at a party, and what will be the most popular dish (mine usually are not). I know just one thing for sure: Never again! Next time I am to bring along something to someone's party, I shall make just a small dish, family-size instead of party-size - but that can of course come across as being cheap and mean instead of generous, when it really only is sensible.

This rice salad is based on a recipe my Mum and I got from an ex-colleague (yes, another Librarian) more than 20 years ago. The original recipe calls for ham as well, but since the hostess is vegetarian, I left it out this time.Here is what is needed:

Rice (the one I used was a basmati, but you can use any kind you prfer), sliced or chopped almonds, canned tangerines, cream, vinegar, salt, sour cream, and curry spice.

Boil the rice as you would do for any rice dish. Mix the other ingredients in a separate bowl. I was careful not to use too much curry spice because some people are not fond of spicy food, but I think I could have used more; the marinade should actually be of a much more intense yellow colour, not this pale vanilla-like shade.

When the boiled rice has cooled down a bit, mix the marinade in thoroughly. Cover and leave in a cool place for at least four hours (I made this in the morning for a party the same evening).Well, I did distribute to my neighbours (upstairs AND downstairs - it really was that much!) what I took home with me after the party. The remainder made a nice side dish with the loup-de-mer and brokkoli RJ and I had for dinner the next day. I simply heated it up in a pan with a tiny bit of olive oil to prvent sticking.Still, as I said above, never again!

13 comments:

I cannot tell you how many times this has happened to me. I either make too much or not enough. It is hard to tell how much will be eaten at a party. The recipe sounds very good, though, and I am going to try it.

I wonder if there is any way to establish how much will really be needed. But I think people are very "unreliable" when it comes to their appetites and fancies! Sometimes those you think will eat most have suddenly begun a diet, or have already eaten at home, or... I don't know :-)

You are so right about that! I've noticed that, as we are all - family and friends - getting older, we eat less. I wonder why that is. Most of them do not look any slimmer than they were when they still ate more.

I still have this problem because I used to have many guests at our cottage in the summer and learned to make food for a small army! It was never wasted, but once a person gets the idea to make these quantities it is difficult to change back. I'm working on it. I think you were very generous and in the end, it sounds as though nothing was wasted even though it was not enjoyed at the place you thought it would be.....

It has taken my Dad years to adapt his groceries shopping to their household of two after my sister and I moved out; he still used to buy the quantities he was used to buying for a family. My parents entertain often, and my Mum is a great hostess - nobody has ever had to leave her table hungry, unless they chose so themselves!

A pity that it did not all get eaten at the party but their loss was your neighbours gain. It is always interesting to me what gets eaten and what doesn't. Have you noticed that people really hate cutting into a cake at the party? The only way to get them to eat it usually is to cut the slices yourself.!

Yes, this has happened to me too. You take something but there is so much food that hardly any of yours will be eaten. Your rice salad looks very good. If I had been there, I would have had a "doggy bag" to take some home with me!

Now you see I'd be the one eating your rice dish. That's my kind of party food. In New Zealand it's called 'taking a plate' and I have one standard thing: my lemon cheesecake. It even got me a proposal of marriage on one occasion.

I think it's especially common to "overdo" it when you're making a mixed something because each ingredient in itself does not seem like too much. And if you have the kind of party where everyone is bringing something (and everyone is afraid of it being to little), I suspect the leftovers multiply even more!